SURVIVALIST VERSUS SURVIVORS Vivos is not about “survivalist”, but rather surviving. Millions of people consider themselves a “Survivalist”: a person who makes preparations to survive a widespread catastrophe, as an atomic war or anarchy, esp. by storing food and weapons in a safe place.A“Survivor” on the other hand is: “a person that survives”, or “a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.” Vivos is not about being a survivalist, but rather surviving. While there are some similarities in the preparations, and certain extreme scenarios that would lead to the need to find a hardened underground, blast and water proof shelter, Vivos is for those that truly want to survive a major Earth devastating catastrophe – be it from nature, or manmade. To be a Vivos “survivor” you do not need to be a “survivalist”. Survivalists prepare for years, learning how to be self-sufficient, while stockpiling food, medicine, guns and ammunition. Survivors only need to be at the right place, at the right time, to survive a catastrophe, or devastating event. Vivos members do not need to spend years studying and preparing. They only need to show up at a Vivos facility where everything needed is ready and waiting – complete and abundant enough for up to one year of autonomous, underground survival from virtually any threat nature or mankind can create. Survivalism Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists) who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order. Survivalists often prepare for this anticipated disruption by having emergency medical training, stockpiling food and water, preparing for self-defense and self- sufficiency, and/or building structures that will help them to survive or "disappear" (e.g., a survival retreat or low tech underground shelter). Anticipated disruptions include: 1. Natural disaster clusters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms. 2. A disaster brought about by the activities of mankind: chemical spills, release of radioactive materials, war, or an oppressive government. 3. General collapse of society, resulting from the unavailability of electricity, fuel, food, and water. 4. Monetary disruption or economic collapse, stemming from monetary manipulation, hyperinflation, deflation, and/or worldwide economic depression. 5. A sudden pandemic spreading through the global population. 6. Widespread chaos, anarchy or some other unexplained event. The Great Depression that followed the stock market crash on October 29, 1929 triggered by a deflationary contraction of credit is often cited by survivalists as an example of the need to be prepared. The most recent wave of the Survivalist movement began after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, Madrid, and London. This resurgence of interest in survivalism appears to be as strong as the first wave in the 1970s. The fear of war, combined with an increase in awareness of environmental disasters and global climate change, energy shortages, economic uncertainty, coupled with the vulnerability of humanity after the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean and Hurricane Katrina © Copyright 2010, The Vivos Group, Del Mar, CA 92014 All rights reserved. on the U.S. Gulf Coast and avian influenza has once again made survivalism popular. Preparedness is once more paramount in the concerns of many people, who now seek to stockpile or cache supplies, gain useful skills, develop contacts with others of similar outlooks and gather as much advice and information as possible. Many books have been published in the past few years offering survival advice for various potential disasters, ranging from an energy shortage and crash to terrorism. Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco and global grain shortages have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared. Interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'. There are so many people who are concerned about the economy that there is a huge interest in preparedness, and it crosses all lines, social, economic, political and religious. There is a steep learning curve going on right now. The advent of H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009 ratcheted up interest in survivalism even further, and significantly boosted sales of preparedness books, and made survivalism more mainstream. Survivalist scenarios and outlooks Survivalism is approached by its adherents in different ways, depending on their circumstances, their mindsets, and their particular concerns for the future. The following are some examples, although many survivalists fit into more than one category or orientation: Safety Preparedness Oriented - Learns principles and techniques needed for surviving life- threatening situations that can occur anytime or anywhere. Makes preparations for such common calamities as structure fires, dog attacks, physical confrontations, snake bites, lightning strikes, car breakdowns, Third World travel problems, bear encounters, flash floods, home invasions and even train wrecks. Wilderness Survival Emphasis - Stresses being able to stay alive for indefinite periods in life threatening wilderness scenarios. These can include: plane crashes, shipwrecks, being lost in the woods. Concerns are: thirst, hunger, climate, terrain, health, stress, fear. Prepares with: knowledge, training and practice. Survival kit often includes: water purifiers, shelter, fire starters, clothing, food, medical supplies, navigation and signaling gear. Self-Defense Driven - Individuals concerned with surviving brief encounters of violent activity. Focus is on personal protection and its legal ramifications, danger awareness, Boyd's cycle (also known as the OODA cycle - observe, orient, decide and act), martial arts, self defense tactics and tools (both lethal and less-than-lethal). Natural Disaster, Brief - People who live in tornado, hurricane, flood, wildfire, earthquake or heavy snowfall areas and want to be prepared for the inevitable. Investment in material for fortifying structures and tools for rebuilding and constructing temporary shelter, perhaps have a low-tech custom built shelter, food, water, medicine, and supplies, enough to get by until contact with the rest of the world resumes. Natural Disaster, Years Long - Concerned about long term weather cycles of 2–10 years, unusually cold or warm periods, that have happened on and off for thousands of years, and that cause crop failures. Might stock several tons of food per family member and have a heavy duty greenhouse with canned non-hybrid seeds. © Copyright 2010, The Vivos Group, Del Mar, CA 92014 All rights reserved. Natural Disaster, Indefinite/Multi-Generational - Possible scenarios include: severe global warming and the possible ensuing ice age, the greenhouse-effect-gone-wild, environmental degradation, warming/cooling of gulf steam waters. Bio-Chem Scenario - Concerned with the spread of fatal diseases and terrorist use of biological agents and nerve gases. Examples: Swine flu, E.Coli 0157, Botulism, Dengue Fever, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, SARS, Rabies, Hantavirus, Anthrax, Plague, Cholera, HIV, Ebola, Marburg virus, Lhasa virus, Sarin, and VX. Might own full-face respirators, polyethylene coveralls, PVC boots, Nitrile gloves, plastic sheeting and duct tape. Malthusian - Soaring increase in world's uncontrolled human population growth impacts available fresh water, food, health-care, environment, economics, consumerism, spread of diseases and just about every other facet of life. Projections indicate that world population of 6.6 billion may again double in fifty years. Some warn that this will result in a Malthusian population crash. Monetary Disaster Investors - Believe the Federal Reserve system is fundamentally flawed. Newsletters suggest hard assets of gold and silver bullion or coins and in some cases other precious-metal oriented investments such as mining shares. They are preparing for paper money to become worthless through hyperinflation. As of late 2009 this is a very popular scenario. Biblical Eschatologist - These individuals study End Times prophecy, believing the Savior is going to return soon, and that the final battle with Satan on the Plains of Megiddo might occur in their lifetime. Most believe that the rapture will follow a period of Tribulation, though a smaller number believe that the rapture is imminent and will precede the Tribulation. ("Pre-Trib rapture".) There is a very wide range of beliefs and attitudes in this group. They run the gamut from pacifist to armed camp, and from no food stockpiles (leaving their sustenance up to God's providence) to decades of food storage. Peak Oil Doomers - The Doomers are convinced that Peak Oil is a genuine threat, and take appropriate measures, usually involving relocation to a Survival retreat region that is agriculturally self-sufficient. Rawlesian - Adherents often prepare for multiple scenarios with fortified and well-equipped remote rural survival retreats. Nearly all place an emphasis on both being well-armed as well as being ready to dispense charity in the event of a disaster. Most take a "deep larder" approach and store multiple years of food. They also emphasize practical self-sufficiency and homesteading skills. Medical Crisis Oriented - Has very complete medical pack in house and in car.